Please note: The call out for the second issue of the “No more silence!” zine is currently live. Please click on this page for more information.

We are looking for creative pieces from students around stories, comments and views on diversity at UWE Bristol and beyond. The theme for UWE Zine is 'Decolonising the UWE Curriculum.'

We have put some further information below on the campaign and how you can get involved.

What is Zine?

A Zine (pronounced as “zeen”) is a self-published, non-commercial print-work that is typically produced in small, limited batches. An exact definition of zine is hard to define—but that’s what makes them great: they are a mash-up of art, letters, story, and emotion.  

Zine can touch on a variety of topics from music and art, to politics, sexuality, comic, sports, and personal memoir. Their content may be written, drawn, printed, collaged, or any other form of combining words and imagery. A zine’s structure may be narrative, journalistic, comic-like, or completely abstract. 

Why should you contribute?

This zine is for you to talk about racism and decolonisation. It provides a cross-disciplinary platform for you to share your stories, comments, views on diversity at UWE Bristol and beyond, with a strong focus on decolonisation and the awarding gap between White and BAME students*.

By being cross-disciplinary, this zine will allow readers to gain awareness of how diversity (or the lack of it) affects all parts of our society. To talk about these themes of diversity, inclusivity and/or decolonisation, you can choose:

- To talk about your personal experience

- To talk about an individual or a group that has influenced you, personally, or the discipline you’re studying 

*By decolonisation, we mean that it is, at its most basic, the undoing of colonialism, meaning institutionally and individually acknowledging that the impacts of colonialism are prevalent and taking action. Colonisation and resultant white privilege are about structures and power. As a consequence, this has contributed to the awarding gaps between White and BAME students. UWE Bristol 2030 Strategy is looking at eradicating the awarding gaps between groups of students. Steve West (2020), Vice-Chancellor, explains that: “for undergraduate students at UWE, getting a 1st or 2:1 degree (good honours) varies with ethnicity, age, disability, and where the student lived before university.

Incentive: we will offer three prizes (£500, and two £250 vouchers, tbc). We will pick the names at random from a hat, containing the names of the contributors that have made it into the final publication.

How could you contribute?

The content is not restricted to standard articles but is open to creativity using different forms (e.g. photos, poem, story, illustration, podcast, etc.). Submit your contribution here.

Will I get support?

We, Jane Ojiako (VP Education), Ludo Sebire (Faculty Librarian for ACE), Ian Collins (Partnership Librarian) and Naomi Cassidy (Graduate Trainee, Library Services) will be on hand to answer your questions.

If you need to get in touch, please contact. 

Ludovik Sebire (Faculty Librarian (ACE)

Contact: Ludovik2.Sebire@uwe.ac.uk

Jane Ojiako

Contact: vpeducation@uwe.ac.uk

Ian Collins (UWE Partnerships Librarian) 

Contact: Ian.Collins@uwe.ac.uk

Naomi Cassidy (Graduate Library Trainee)

Contact: Naomi.Cassidy@uwe.ac.uk